Ask American Profile 12/23/2007

Q I heard that Barbara Eden was pregnant some of the time she played Jeannie on I Dream of Jeannie. Is that true?
—Donna Sanders, Plano, Texas

Just after filming began on the TV show’s pilot episode, Eden discovered she was expecting her first child. With the actresses’ midriff-bearing genie costume already under a “no navel” mandate from the network, the show’s director’s called for most of her scenes to be shot “ATB,” or “above the baby.” Her child, a son, was born a month before the series began its five-year run in 1965. Eden, 73, is one of the featured stars on Pioneers of Television, a four-part, month-long series beginning Jan. 2 on PBS.

Q I admire Tom Hanks, but haven’t heard anything about him lately. What’s his next project, and is he still married to Rita Wilson?
—Thomas DeRamus, Estill Springs, Tenn.

Hanks, 51, stars opposite Julia Roberts in Charlie Wilson’s War, which premieres Dec. 25 and is based on a real-life Texas congressman who persuaded the CIA to train resistance fighters in Afghanistan to fend off the Soviet Union. Also coming up for the popular actor is The Great Buck Howard, a comedy in which he’ll star with son Colin, 30, his child from a previous marriage. In April, Hanks and wife Rita Wilson will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary.

Q Where is Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers these days?
—Rose Davis, Ashtabula, Ohio

Medley, 67, had a successful solo career with hits such as 1987’s “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life.” He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 with Bobby Hatfield, his singing partner on a string of Righteous Brothers classics, including “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” and “Unchained Melody.” Following Hatfield’s death later that year, Medley recorded a new album, Damn Near Righteous, as a tribute to his friend. He lives in Newport Beach, Calif., with his wife and daughter.

Q I love the show Everybody Hates Chris. What can you tell me about the little girl who plays the little sister? Has she been in anything else?
—Alice Nugent, Jim Thorpe, Pa.

Newcomer Imani Hakim, 14, was born in Cleveland and went to Hollywood in 2005, accompanied by her father, to follow her dream of becoming an actress. After dozens of auditions and rejections, she and her dad had run out of money and were living in their vehicle, making plans to return to Ohio and rejoin the rest of their family. Then she landed her big break, cast as the precocious Tanya Rock in the CW network’s Everybody Hates Chris. She had a small part earlier this year in the Adam Sandler movie Reign Over Me. She, her father and her two brothers now live in California—in a house.

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